If anyone's capable of instilling the joyful holiday spirit it's Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, who recently told SPIN.com about his knack for penning "breakout" tunes that can lift even the deepest of depressions.

"I think the breakout moment was this song," Rivers Cuomo tells SPIN.com of "My Brain Is Working Overtime," a slick pop tune off Alone II, his just-released second collection of rarities and demos. "It felt like the first important song I'd written after losing my way for a long period of time."

To celebrate the release of his second collection of demos, B-sides, and obscure tunes, Alone II, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo spent two and half hours Tuesday night playing new songs -- and Weezer classics -- with a hundred fans at Long Beach, CA, record store Fingerprints.

Maybe it's the fact that recently the names in the news are oldtimers like AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, and Metallica, but lately we've been feeling a bit nostalgic.

It's time for the Presidential debates, but here at SPIN.com we're too busy rocking out to argue about politics -- and with a week like this one, who could debate that? We've seen My Bloody Valentine's long-promised reunion, witnessed Weezer's electrifying tour-opener, and heard a sweet tune or two. Check out this week's highlights below.

"We're the coolest band. Yeah, I said it," boasted a white jumpsuit-clad Rivers Cuomo on the opening night of Weezer's North American tour at Lowell's Tsongas Arena Tuesday night.